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Row simmering in Britain over "Israeli settlements" food labels

A row was brewing Friday over a recommendation by the British government to supermarkets to change their food labelling to distinguish between imported products from Palestinians in the occupied territories and from Israeli settlements, DPA reported.

The new guidelines, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), recommend that food labels should in future bear the inscription "Israeli settlement produce" or "Palestinian produce."

Up to now, imports had been simply marked as originating from Israel or the West Bank.

Defra, which issued the new guidelines Thursday, said it had received requests from retailers, consumer groups and non- governmental organizations "for greater clarity" on food labelling.

While the move was welcomed by pro-Palestinian groups, the Israeli embassy in London said it was "extremely disappointed" by the decision which would "play into the hands of those calling for a boycott of Israeli goods."

Yigal Palmor, Israel's foreign ministry spokesman, condemned the move as being "motivated by politics" in an interview with the BBC Friday.

"This introduces politics into consumer policies," said Palmor, adding that it would "send the wrong message" to the Palestinian Authority and serve only to "radicalize" opinion among those who did not wish to return to the negotiating table.

But Manuel Hassassian, Palestinian general delegate to Britain, praised the government's "positive response" to the issue, as did the trade unions, the aid organization Oxfam and other groups.

A Foreign Office spokesman denied the move had anything to do with a boycott of Israel.

"We believe consumers should be able to choose for themselves what produce they buy. We have been very clear both in public and in private that settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace," he said.